Democratic and Republican legislators unite on bill to legalize and tax marijuana (Maine)

Source: BDN

AUGUSTA, Maine — Lawmakers from opposite ends of the political spectrum unveiled a bill Thursday that would give Mainers in a statewide referendum the chance to legalize marijuana.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Diane Russell, D-Portland, and co-sponsored by Rep. Aaron Libby, R-Waterboro, would make vast changes in Maine’s drug law, ranging from making possession of up to 2.5 ounces of pot legal to imposing a tax of $50 per ounce.

Russell and others argued during a press conference Thursday afternoon at the State House that laws against marijuana have enmeshed too many nonviolent offenders in the legal system and deprived government coffers of millions of dollars of revenue. Russell estimated that taxing and regulating marijuana could generate up to $13 million a year, three-quarters of which she proposes routing into the state’s General Fund, which supports the majority of state government, including public education and most social services.

Russell proposes making it legal for individuals to grow as many as six plants if they are cultivated in a locked space. She also supports allowing the transfer of the drug from one adult to another without compensation.

9. Kick, Rec.

14. Loving It

I love it. Best of all, as other states see the tax revenue Maine is making, they will be hard pressed not to legalize/tax it in their own states. I can see this snowballing until just about every state makes it legal.

When the Great State of Georgia legalizes it, I have a spot near my bedroom window picked out where I can grow a few plants for personal use. Now I just need a Hobbit pipe to smoke my Longbottom Leaf.